When asked if he was intimidated to take on the role of King Mongkut in the Lincoln Center revival of The King and I, current lead, Hoon Lee, explained to Blouin Art Info that he focused on character development instead of the pressure that often accompanies taking the spotlight on such a high-profile project:

"I think when you have an iconic role at a time when there aren't many designated leading roles for Asians, there's often a disproportionate amount of weight placed on these roles.

"What that can lead to is a concern to be careful not to put out an image that's too much of its time.

"The key to any of those concerns is to really look for the humanity and specificity in the role and then you find that the character transcends a lot of those concerns."